The firm will add a research and development laboratory and well as production and warehouse space at the facility. It will also install large-scale filling capacity for therapeutic recombinant proteins.
CellGenix expects the expansion project to be completed early next year. The firm also said it plans to hire staff with experience in R&D, quality control and production.
The firm cited the progression of customer projects as well as a general increase in market demand for good manufacturing practice (GMP) grade raw materials as the driver for the investment.
CEO Felicia Rosenthal said: “The investment we are making is a very positive sign for the gene and cell therapy space and the future of CellGenix. It will allow us to fulfill the increasing demand for GMP-grade cytokines and serum-free media.”
Reagent demand
CellGenix is only the latest supplier to invest in reagent capacity citing growing demand.
In December, Thermo Fisher bought cell reagents supplier MTI-GlobalStem.
At the time Thermo told us the capacity gained will help customers “accelerate discovery in the development of disease models for drug screening, cells as factories for early development of biological drugs, and cell-based therapies.”